Teenage prodigy Tomas Rogic was deployed for a 10-minute cameo and made an instant impact through the midfield, with his first touch of the ball resulting in a shot on goal.

While hoping for better playing conditions on Wednesday, Holger Osieck's men can expect more of the same against a Korea DPR side not short of confidence.

North Korea have played one extra game than the Socceroos and top the standings after thrashing Chinese Taipei 6-1 and Guam 5-0.

Surprisingly for the Koreans, Defender Myong-Jun Ri has burst on the scene with four goals in his first two games for the country.

The Daugava Daugavpils centre-half bagged a brace in each of North Korea's opening two fixtures against Chinese Taipei and Guam, sending him to the top of the qualifying tournament's goalscoring charts.

Led by Jong-Su Yun, North Korea are unbeaten in their past 11 international fixtures - winning nine and drawing twice.

North Korea, who qualified for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa where they faced powerhouse nations Brazil, Portugal and Ivory Coast, have not tasted defeat since they were beaten 1-0 in a World Cup qualifier against Uzbekistan in November last year.

Australia (33) may sit 48 positions above North Korea (81) in the FIFA world rankings, but their opponents will be no pushovers.

The Socceroos will close out the qualifying tournament with matches against Guam and Chinese Taipei as they look to qualify for 2013 East Asian Cup finals, which is scheduled for July next year in South Korea.